There's No Place Like Home, Part 1
"There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" is the twelfth episode of Season 4 of Lost and the first part of its multi-part, 3-hour season finale. It is the eighty-fourth produced hour of the series as a whole and originally aired May 15, 2008. The face-off begins between the survivors and the mercenary team from the freighter. In the future, the Oceanic Six return to their families. Synopsis Previously on Lost *Keamy informs Captain Gault that a "Secondary protocol" says to "torch the Island". *When he flies over them, Frank drops a satellite phone on the beach camp that is tracking his helicopter. *Locke goes inside the cabin and sees the shadowy figure of Christian Shephard seated in the corner, who says he can speak on behalf of Jacob. Afterwards, Locke tells Ben they're supposed to move the Island. On the Island Tracking the helicopter and leaving for the freighter The survivors are busy discussing what to do following the discovery of the satellite phone dropped from the helicopter. Jack hands the satellite phone to Daniel. Daniel enters a code that activates "monitor only" mode, allowing them to listen to a conversation on the helicopter. They hear Keamy speaking to Frank Lapidus. Keamy orders Frank to land the helicopter. Frank informs them that they are still "5 klicks out," but Keamy demands that they land. Keamy tells his men, "Soon as we hit the ground, we deploy to the Orchid." Jack is determined to follow the helicopter because he thinks it is their ticket to rescue. ♪ Against the wishes of Juliet, who wants Jack to rest after his appendectomy, Jack asks Kate if she wants to track the helicopter. Jack and Kate run into the jungle after the signal of the phone. Meanwhile, Daniel searches through his journal for a page containing information about the Orchid and warns Charlotte that Keamy and his men are using the secondary protocol and that they must leave the Island immediately. In the jungle, Kate notices Jack's wound is bleeding, but he insists that it is a normal part of the recovery phase. Kate states that she knows when other people are lying because they look away from her, but that Jack does exactly the opposite. Suddenly, a noise is heard in the jungle and both of them draw their weapons. Miles comes out of the bush, followed by Sawyer carrying Aaron. Kate and Sawyer exchange uneasy stares before Kate asks where Claire is. Sawyer replies that they lost her in the jungle, and even after a day's search, they could not find her. He informs them that the Barracks were attacked by the people from the freighter. Jack wishes to continue into the jungle and tells Kate to take care of the baby and head back to the beach with Miles. ♪ Hesitantly, Sawyer catches up to Jack to help him. The two follow the signal on the satellite phone until they reach the helicopter where they find Frank is hand-cuffed to the aircraft. Sawyer is uneasy about approaching Frank, but Jack assures him that he is trustworthy. ♪ The two proceed to find a way to un-cuff Frank who promises to fly them off the Island as soon as they do. He lets them know that with the mercenaries on the Island, it is the last place they want to be and that the freighter is the safest place. He says the men are at the Orchid waiting to capture Ben, and do terrible things to whoever is with him. Sawyer realizes that Hurley is with Ben, to Jack's frustration, and they decide they cannot leave yet. The group continues into the jungle on a venture towards the Orchid. Meanwhile, Sayid arrives at the beach and offers to ferry people, six at a time, back to the freighter. ♪♪ Kate comes out of the jungle with Aaron and tells Sayid what has happened with the helicopter and the sat-phone. Sayid wants to run off after Jack and Sawyer to warn them about the freighter mercenaries. Daniel offers to ferry people to the freighter in his place. Juliet says that Sun is pregnant, so she should leave first. Kate wants to go with Sayid to help track Jack and Sawyer, so she gives Aaron to Sun. Sayid and Kate head off into the jungle and Daniel takes Sun, Jin, Aaron and three other survivors in the Zodiac. ♪ In the jungle, Kate and Sayid are tracking Jack and Sawyer's footprints. Kate notices a different fresh set of tracks that have doubled back on them, and Sayid calls for whoever is following them to reveal themselves. Richard Alpert emerges from the jungle, and Kate and Sayid draw their guns and tell Richard to stand down. He asks them to calm down and continues moving towards them until a large group of Others come out of the bush and aim rifles at the pair. Richard disarms the two and the Others begin escorting them to an undefined location. Traveling to the Orchid Ben leads Locke and Hurley through the jungle. ♪ He explains that if, as Christian told Locke, they need to move the Island, then there's only one place to do that: the Orchid station. Hurley asks Ben why he did not move the Island before the mercenaries arrived. Ben replied, "Because doing it is both dangerous and unpredictable. It's a measure of last resort." Along the way, Ben stops at a rock formation and pulls out a hidden case. Inside are binoculars, a signaling mirror, and a DHARMA Initiative cracker tin with the Swan logo. Locke gives the tin to Hurley, who opens it up and starts eating the crackers that are inside. After telling Hurley that the crackers are 15 years old, Ben uses the mirror to reflect light in order to signal something to someone on a nearby cliff. The person on the cliff responds with more reflected light. Locke takes the binoculars and asks Ben whom he communicated with and what he said with the signal. Ben replies, "Who do you think?" to the first question and answers, "None of your business, John," to the second. ♪ Later, the three reach the Orchid, only to find that Keamy's team have made it there first. ♪ Ben gives Locke very specific instructions on what to do once inside the station (which involves finding a secret elevator to the real station), hands him his telescopic baton, then walks out into the open where Keamy's team can see him. Keamy comes out and Ben surrenders to him. ♪ Keamy holds a gun to Ben's head for a second, before hitting him with it instead. ♪ On the freighter Daniel arrives on the raft with Jin, Sun, Aaron and three other survivors. ♪♪ Desmond helps them aboard and Daniel heads back to get more people to ferry. Michael arrives and informs Desmond that the engines are fixed. Desmond leaves. In the bridge, Desmond has Hendricks, who acts as helmsman, try the engine, which works. ♪ However, they can't move closer to the Island because of some RF interference which prevents them from being able to see the reef and that the RF interference is coming from the boat. Desmond says he'll find the source and shut it off. Jin and Sun are talking to Michael who explains his situation. Sun is surprised to see him working for Ben and he replies that he's not working for Ben, he's trying to atone for what he did. Desmond bursts out of the ship calling for help. Michael, Jin and Sun (carrying Aaron) follow him, and he leads them to a room full of explosives. Jin tells Sun to leave and she heads above deck. ♪♪ Flash-forwards The Oceanic Six return (Kate and Aaron) Two pilots are at the helm of a transport plane. The pilot chastises the co-pilot for clinging to his lucky charm, a rabbit's foot. The co-pilot says he has to be extra vigilant considering the cargo they are carrying. Karen Decker, an Oceanic Airlines representative, is strapped into the jump seat immediately behind the pilots. The pilots tell Decker they're approaching the runway. The Oceanic Six are aboard an US Coast Guard transport aircraft enroute to a military facility just west of Honolulu. Decker tells them that their families are waiting for them and that they don't have to speak to the press. Jack insists that they're all right with speaking to the press. The woman leaves and Jack tells the rest of the Six to stick to the story and if they don't have an answer to a question to just stay quiet and the press will assume that they're in shock. Sun replies that they are in shock. The Six exit the back of the transport. Carmen and David Reyes, Mr. and Mrs. Paik, and Margo Shephard are all waiting for them. The three families are overjoyed to see each other. Sayid and Kate have no one greeting them. Hugo jumps back after hugging his mom hello and introduces Sayid, who gets the full family hug treatment. As the remainder of the Six meet up with their families, Kate just holds on tight to baby Aaron and looks around, alone. ♪ Oceanic Six press conference (Sayid) Later, Oceanic Airlines holds a press conference with the Oceanic Six. Karen Decker presents a fabricated story of how the Oceanic Six survived, based on the already-found staged wreckage of Flight 815 at the bottom of the Sunda Trench in the Indian Ocean. According to the story, the survivors were carried by the ocean's current after the crash to the uninhabited island of Membata, where they survived for 108 days. On the 103rd day, a typhoon washed up the remnants of an Indonesian fishing boat, including a survival raft, on which they traveled to the Indonesian island of Sumba to find rescue. The Six then take questions from the press. Jack is asked what it was like when the plane hit the water and he responds by saying that it all happened very fast. He claims he and a few others made it to one of the doors and got out of the plane, and stayed afloat using life jackets and seat cushions until the tide brought them ashore. By that point, he claims there were only eight of them left. One reporter suggests that, for having been trapped on an Island for the amount of time that they were, they look to be in remarkable health. Hurley asks if that question is directed at him. This questioning segment was cut from the extended rebroadcast on 5/29. Another reporter asks Hurley what it will be like to get his money back. He says that he doesn't want it back. Another reporter asks Sun a question in Korean. One of the news reporters calls out for a translation, and Sun translates the questions: whether Jin was one of the passengers who made it out of the plane. She responds that no, he died in the crash. Kate is asked what it was like giving birth to Aaron on the Island, to which she replies that it was scary. At the time of the press conference, Aaron should be almost five weeks old; the reporter follows up by challenging her version of the timeline, noting that she would have been six months pregnant when she was apprehended in Australia. Decker hastily cuts off this line of questioning and explains that Kate's "legal issue is off the table." When asked about the possibility that other survivors might yet be found, Sayid replies, "No. Absolutely not." ::This information was revealed in the enhanced episode aired on 5/29: Jack named the other three survivors as Boone Carlyle, who died of massive internal injuries very soon after arrival on the Island; "a woman named Libby," who also died within the first week; and Charlie Pace, who drowned just a few weeks before they got off the Island. Sayid also confirmed that he will not be returning to Iraq, saying "there is nothing for me in Iraq." After the press conference, Karen tells Sayid that there's a woman outside who claims to know him: Noor Abed Jazeem. He heads outside, where he sees Nadia. They embrace. ♪♪ Paik Industries (Sun) Some time later, Sun goes to her father's office. When she arrives, two men are there explaining about an upsetting incident involving five different banks; he sends them away. Sun asks if anything is wrong and Mr. Paik replies that it's company business, and she wouldn't understand. She then accuses him of having hated Jin, and tells her father that she considers him to be one of the two people responsible for his death. She reveals that Oceanic Airlines has given her a significant settlement, which she has used to purchase a controlling interest in Paik Industries. She then tells her father that once she has her baby, she intends to discuss her plans for the company's new direction. Hurley's surprise party (Hurley) Later, Hurley is shown walking through his house, which appears empty. However, he is startled when he sees a coconut on the ground and begins to hear whispers. He picks up a small statue of Jesus Christ to use as a weapon and slowly moves towards the voices. As he opens the door, the whispers are revealed to be a large group of friends and family surprising him with a birthday party. His mother scolds him for contemplating using the statue as a weapon. At the party, Sayid, Nadia, Kate, and Aaron are present. Kate mentions that Jack is running late. Hurley's father takes him aside to show him his birthday present, which is the Camaro they had worked on previously. ♪ He mentions that once he thought Hurley was dead, he began to finish working on the car as a tribute to his son. He gives Hurley the keys, which are on a rabbit-foot keychain. Hurley and his father sit inside to take it for a drive, but Hurley immediately notices the Numbers in the cars' odometer and trip counter. He exits the car and is seen running down the street, away from the Camaro, in fear. Christian's eulogy (Jack) Ten months after the crash, Jack delivers a eulogy at his father's memorial service. He expresses remorse over not having his body present, saying he loved his father. ♪ After the ceremony, Carole Littleton approaches him. She explains her story, revealing to Jack that Claire, whom she believes he never met, was his half-sister and was also on the plane. Jack is obviously shaken at the news. Carole then approaches Kate, complimenting Aaron, unaware that he is her grandson. Trivia *Membata, the name of the Island Oceanic claimed the Six lived on, is Indonesian for "doubt" or "uncertainty". *A Geronimo Jackson record jacket can be seen near the DJ at Hurley's party. *The mirror Ben uses is called a heliograph, or signaling mirror. They were commonly used by military forces in the early half of the 20th century. They are still included in survival kits for emergency signaling to search and rescue aircraft. They typically have directions printed on the non-reflective side. *At Hurley's surprise birthday party, Sayid is seen sporting a wedding band, implying that he and Nadia have been married by this point. * What can be seen of Ben's mirror message, interpreted in Morse code, translates to "seise" http://inter.scoutnet.org/cgi-bin/morse2txt?text=...+.+..+...+.. The reply was "sii" http://inter.scoutnet.org/cgi-bin/morse2txt?text=...+..+.. (although there may have been another letter after the "s" while Locke was raising his binoculars). *Hurley can be seen holding a bag from Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack while entering his house. *Tripometers, where the lower four numbers (2342) appeared on Hurley's birthday car, were not standard on the 1970-1972 Camaro, so it seems Hurley's father replaced the original speedometer unit with an aftermarket model when he refurbished the car. *The logo for the Orchid in Daniel's journal confirms that the Orchid is the logo on Ben's parka in the Sahara. *On the enhanced version, Jack revealed that Boone, Libby and Charlie are the other 3 (in the cover up story) that died on the Island. These three characters are the only characters that have appeared in prominent visions of other characters after their demise: (Boone appearing to Locke, Libby appearing to Michael and Charlie appearing to Hurley). **Boone, Libby and Charlie were each a major death of the first, second and third seasons, respectively. ***Boone, Libby and Charlie were each the final main character to die in those respective seasons. **Additionally, Jack's claims as to how Boone and Charlie died -- internal injuries and drowning -- is actually how they died, although under much different circumstances. **Although the enhanced version contained some extra footage as described above, it lacked the segment of the press conference where Hurley makes a comical remark when the female reporter questions their apparent health. *Despite not having any close-up shots at the press conference, both Mr. Paik and Mrs. Paik were present and can be seen for a split second sitting next to Margo Shephard. *Eko's church can be seen in this episode. *The silhouette of an unidentified person can be seen briefly behind Karen Decker as she talks to the Oceanic Six in the cargo hold, sitting a few rows back from them. * This is the first time the Others (besides Ben, Juliet and Harper) and Richard are seen in the present since . *This episode is rated TV-PG-LV. Production notes *This is the first episode to have Aaron appear without his mother. *The Oceanic 6 were aboard a United States Coast Guard (USCG)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Coast_Guard Lockheed HC-130 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_HC-130 search and rescue transport aircraft being flown by two USCG Lieutenants (O-3). **A special thanks is given to the United States Coast Guard in the end credits of the episode. *The Lockheed HC-130 number 1717 was acquired by the USCG under a US Air Force (USAF) aircraft purchase contract addendum in 1986 http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/coastguardseries.html. *The Oceanic 6 landed at Kalaeloa Airport http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbers_Point_Naval_Air_Station, home of the Coast Guard Air Station (CGAS) Barbers Point http://www.uscg.mil/d14/, as indicated by the plane's markings and the distinctive air traffic control tower http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/Kalaeloa_tower.jpg. *The instruments on the bridge of the Kahana have a Caterpillar logo on them. *The press conference was most likely held in the CGAS hangarshttp://www.uscg.mil/d14/airstaBarbersPoint/. *Several large sea turtles can be seen on the daytime beach shots. *Carole Littleton is played by Susan Duerden in this episode. When she first appeared in , she was played by Arlene Newman-Van Asperen without speaking lines. *Veronica Hamel reprises her role as Margo Shephard from , after a 75-episodes absence. This is the longest such gap for any actor, and the longest gap for a character until Tom Brennan reappeared after 80 episodes in played by a new actor. *The "previously on Lost" segment is removed from this episode on the Season 4 DVD. Bloopers and continuity errors *During the press conference when all the reporters are talking over each other, a man's voice can be heard saying, "Just a clarification, sir?" followed by another few indecipherable words. A few questions later, the reporters become excited again and the same sound byte is clearly used a second time. *In the shot of the aircraft's ramp being pulled out, Jack, Hurley and Sun's family members can be seen standing at the end of the ramp surrounded by guards. In the next shot, they are suddenly several yards further back, surrounded by no one. *As Hurley brings Sayid into his family hug, he has his right arm around his shoulder to begin with, then as it flicks to the next shot, the other arm is around Sayid. *In the scene where Sayid reunites with Nadia, the police car next to the warehouse door is on the right, in the next shot it is on the left. *Just after the Lost title screen, Jack and Kate are walking through the jungle. As Jack says "the chopper must have landed" a large red circle appears on the tree to the left; most likely a camera reflection or flare. *As Ben is walking into the Orchid Station area to give himself up, a gun being cocked can be heard several seconds before the actual cocking is happening. *When Daniel takes the first group onto the Zodiac, a man with shoulder-length hair is seen pushing the right side of the Zodiac. In the next shot, the same man is seen pushing the left side. *When Sayid is returning to the Island on the Zodiac, there is a Sea Turtle on the shore just as he's about to land. In the next shot, the Turtle is gone. Music The Season 4 soundtrack includes the following tracks from this episode: * "There's No Place Like Home" * "Nadia on Your Life" * "C4-titude" * "Of Mice and Ben" Analysis Recurring themes * The Coast Guard C-130 is piloted by an African-American (black) officer and a Euro-American (white) officer. * The Oceanic Six lie about what happened during and after the plane crash. * The Oceanic Six arrive on a plane with the numbers 1717 on the side. 1+7=8; 7+1+7=15; and 1+7+1+7=16. * According to the fabricated story, the Oceanic 6 found rescue after 108 days. * The Numbers are sequentially on the odometer of Hurley's new car. Hurley's dad blames it on coincidence. * Kate is questioned about her supposed pregnancy. * Jin tells Sun "I told you I would get you off the Island" while they are on the raft. * Jack finds out that Claire was his half-sister (and that Aaron is his nephew) at their father's memorial. * Michael says that he wants to make up for what he did. * Sun's father asks about her pregnancy. * Ben is taken hostage by Keamy's team. * Kate and Sayid are captured by the Others. * Sawyer refers to Miles as "Genghis." * Sawyer refers to Frank as "Yahoo" and "Shaggy." *Sawyer refers to the Barracks as "New Otherton," the producers' nickname for the location. *Hurley's birthday party scene contained the following "Easter eggs": 4 palm trees on the lanai, 8 helium balloons tied by the pool, 15 presents on the lanai table, 16 party hats worn by background individuals, 23 & 42 were the Numbers on the jerseys worn on the 2 boys crossing over the pool right after the DJ was shown. * One of the pilots in the transport plane rubs a rabbit's foot. * Hurley's car keys have a rabbit's foot on keyring. * Ben tells Hurley the crackers are 15 years old. *Towards the end of the episode, Jack and Sawyer are seen walking away from the helicopter, and its tail comes into view reading N842M. *Ben devises a plan that includes him being held hostage by Keamy's team, while not revealing the truth about the Orchid to Locke. *Sayid and Nadia resume their relationship as soon as he is rescued and likely get married right after. * Hurley's dad gives him a Camaro. *The Oceanic Six arrive back home for the first time. *When the Oceanic Six meet their families, Kate stands alone looking around for her family. Cultural references *''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The episode's title, "There's no place like home," is a quote from L. Frank Baum's fantasy The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Near the end of the 1939 film adaptation, the song's melody plays in the underscore as Dorothy repeats the phrase that transports her back home to Kansas, mirroring the theme of this episode. *Gulliver's Travels: Sawyer calls Frank "Yahoo." This comes from the book ''Gulliver's Travels, published by Jonathan Swift in 1726. The Yahoos are vile and savage creatures, filthy and with unpleasant habits. They're primitive creatures that represent the distasteful materialism and ignorant elitism Swift encountered in Britain. Hence the term "Yahoo" has become synonymous with "cretin," "dinosaur," and/or "Neanderthal." Literary techniques *The finale is structured so it begins with its result--The Oceanic 6 together. It then deconstructs this by placing those 6 in all different locations on the Island. *The title of the episode foreshadows the return of the Oceanic 6, while juxtaposing its positive meaning to their bittersweet emotions in an ironic fashion. *One of the USCG pilots is rubbing a white rabbit's foot, foreshadowing Hurley's encounter later in the episode with the same charm. *Before Hurley is aware of the surprise party, he hears whispers reminiscent of those on the Island that often foreshadow unfortunate situations. *Claire's mother comments that Jack would have sat only a few feet away from Claire, oblivious to the fact that they were siblings. She then admires Aaron, oblivious to the fact that he is her grandson. *Six of the Losties arrive on the freighter looking for safety, only to find it is rigged with explosives. *Sawyer yells at Jack telling him he doesn't get to "die alone". *Upon learning from Sawyer that Hurley is with Ben, Jack says "son of a bitch!" - a trademark catchphrase of Sawyer's. *Carole's reappearance is reminiscent of Kate's mother's; they were both hospitalized with negligible chance of recovery, yet they both showed up after the Oceanic 6 rescue. *Claire's name is referenced at least twice in the episode during distinct moments, but she doesn't appear in any scene. *The episode ends with Ben being captured and knocked unconcious by Keamy. The Oceanic Six are spread out over the Island, leading the viewer to wonder how those six manage to join together and leave everyone else behind. Storyline analysis * Jack and Kate go into the jungle after the chopper, then it's Jack and Sawyer, and later Kate and Sayid. *Faraday becomes a surprise leader by offering to take the Oceanic 815 Survivors to the freighter when Sayid has to go after Jack. *Keamy subdues and captures Benjamin Linus. *A group of Others, led by Richard Alpert, takes Sayid and Kate hostage. Episode connections Episode references *Michael tells Sun that he is trying to make up for what he did. *Claire's mother tells Jack she was still at the hospital when Christian went to Australia. *Jack sardonically tells Kate that he has had "lots of practice" delivering eulogies. *Michael tells Jin and Sun about taking Ben's boat when he left the Island as well as how he got to New York. * Sawyer says to Jack, "...didn't you just do the whole 'run through the jungle with a walkie' plan?" *Sawyer informs Jack and Kate about the attack on the Barracks. *Jack tells Sawyer that Juliet took out his appendix. *Sawyer says they couldn't find Claire. *Ben, Hurley and Locke trek to the Orchid in order to move the Island. Episode allusions * Sawyer tells Jack that he "doesn't get to die alone." * Hurley picks up lunch from Mr. Cluck's before his surprise party. * Jack mentions that Christian thought wakes were only good for free booze, similar to Boone. * The episode's title matches the name of a book found on Jack's shelf, "No Place Like Home" by Mary Higgins Clark. * Ben tells Locke to take an elevator in the Orchid, hidden behind anthuriums, the same flowers the apparition of Yemi appeared in. * One of the USCG pilots is rubbing a white rabbit's foot for luck. * The Oceanic Six were rescued on Day 108, January 7, 2005. One of the whispers heard as Hurley approached Jacob's cabin was a voice saying, "It's January 7." * Hugo's dad gives him the Chevy Camaro. * After entering his eerily quiet home, Hurley calls out for his butlers, Mr. Tranh and Lady Tranh. * Hugo picks up the Jesus statue. * Carole Littleton reveals the truth about Claire. * Faraday consults his journal * Ben tells Locke he always has a plan. * The Orchid Station logo in Faraday's journal is approximately the same logo that Ben had on his parka. * When arguing about lying to the public, Locke says "Well... we'll just have to see which one of us is right". ("The End") Unanswered questions *How does Daniel know the details of the secondary protocol? External links * "TV Recap Theater" made a comedic recap for this episode: TV Recap for "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" * Sumba Foundation da:There's No Place Like Home de:4.12 Die Rückkehr, Teil 1 es:There's No Place Like Home - Part 1 fr:4x12 it:Casa dolce casa, prima parte ru:Долгожданное возвращение, часть 1 zh:There's No Place Like Home, Part 1 Category:Kate-centric Category:Sayid-centric Category:Jin and Sun-centric Category:Hurley-centric Category:Jack-centric Category:Episodes Featuring Flash Forwards Category:Episodes Category:Season 4 Category:Episodes that are Rated TV-PG-LV